<p>Brazil is a big, complex country. It’s probably a mistake to generalize. There are parts of Brazil I consider quite safe, and I would have no problem with my daughters being there. There are other parts I wouldn’t ever want to be at any time of the day or night. And then there are those maddening places that, as Americans, we expect to be safe, but aren’t. This includes many upscale residential areas, central business districts, and high end shopping centers in and around major cities like Sao Paulo and Rio de Janiero.</p>
<p>Lots of talk here about kidnapping. It’s a legitimate concern, though I suspect mini is right that the rate of kidnapping in Brazil is probably lower than the rate of sexual assault on the median U.S. college campus. For both types of crimes, you need to be savvy about how to avoid it. An important thing to keep in mind: there are two types of kidnapping. One is the traditional kidnapping for ransom and extortion (KRE), in which the kidnappers hold the kidnap victim in confinement at an undisclosed location, and demand large sums of money for her release on threat of death. In general the victims of this type of crime tend to be wealthy, powerful, and/or highly visible people–politicians, diplomats, wealthy entrepreneurs and business executives, entertainers, star athletes, and the families of any of these. This type of kidnapping is usually carefully targeted and carefully planned, and is not likely to affect the typical American study abroad student unless she is herself from a wealthy, powerful, or highly visible family. This type of kidnapping is, however, what diplomats and politicians and wealthy and powerful business people, both domestic and foreign–or people perceived to be such–need to worry about. That’s why you see such elaborate security precautions in high-end residential neighborhoods and business centers in Sao Paulo and Rio.</p>
<p>The other type of kidnapping that has exploded in recent years, not just in Brazil but in a number of other Latin American countries as well, is the so-called “express kidnapping.” Here the goal isn’t to extort a ransom from a third party; it’s to force the kidnap victim to withdraw funds from an ATM or to go on a shopping spree for the benefit of the kidnappers, on threat of torture and mutilation if the kidnapped party doesn’t cooperate. These are usually crimes of opportunity; anyone who looks like they have an ATM card or a credit card is a potential victim, especially if they are alone or appear unsuspecting. For this type of crime, merely dressing a certain way and carrying yourself as if you might have funds in a bank account and/or a reasonably high credit limit on your credit card might identify you as a potential victim. Best ways to combat this: always travel in groups, be discreet in your spending and appearance, be aware of your surroundings, be aware of your surroundings (keeping in mind that “suspicious” characters might themselves be well dressed), and don’t assume (as many of us do in the U.S.) that fashionable shopping districts or high-end shopping malls are “safe.” These areas tend to be magnets for this type of crime. This is especially true in the bigger cities, e.g., Sao Paulo, Rio, Salvador, Recife.</p>
<p>But I’d probably have no problem if one of my daughters wanted to study or work in Florianopolis, in Santa Catarina state in southern Brazil. Kidnappings and other violent crimes are relatively rare there. For Sao Paulo or Rio, however, I’d want to carefully vet the program and the exact location. Just as I would for, say, New York or Chicago.</p>